Sega is toying with the idea of using its own massive franchises, like Persona and Sonic The Hedgehog, to power a video game subscription service.
Netflix-style subscriptions have emerged in almost every corner of the industry since Microsoft opted for its Xbox Game Pass strategy in 2018: now PlayStation Plus, EA Play, Ubisoft+ and the classic Nintendo Switch Online catalog unlock access to hundreds of games for a monthly fee.
Sega is the latest publisher to consider joining the already saturated market, with company president Shuji Utsumi telling the Agency that he found such services “very interesting” and was “evaluating some opportunities” in the space. “We are thinking about something and discussing something that we cannot reveal at this time,” he said.
Sonic might be the company's golden jewel, especially with Sonic The Hedgehog 3, the film's brilliant reception, and the recent Sonic to any kind of Game Pass competitor: Persona, Shin Megami Tensei, Yakuza, Total War, Football Manager and the recent Game of the Year nominee Metaphor: Refantazio included.
But Sega could run into the same problem as most Hollywood companies by following in Netflix's footsteps. At a certain point, the business model becomes too saturated as people probably won't want to pay six different monthly subscriptions to play.
Regardless, Utsumi is focused on making the company “really shine again” using all of the heavyweight names listed above. “Sega has a great RPG group, Sega has incredible IPs, Sega is a very well-known brand.”
For now, get the summary The most important cameos in Sonic The Hedgehog 3 when two iconic video game characters appear, but not as you expected.